Why Are You Still Awake?
by clslovegood47
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir accidentally discover each other's identities during an Akuma attack, but they soon discover that there are even bigger secrets between them that are yet to be uncovered. WARNING: SEASON 3 FINALE SPOILERS


**WARNING: SEASON 3 FINALE SPOILERS**

This was written for my good friend Ash's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASH!

(You can find her at flashflashitsash on Tumblr. Go check her out. She's amazing!)

I hope you enjoy!

Comments are always appreciated!

I cross-post on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog. Also, come talk to me over there! I would love to discuss my stories and the Miraculous fandom with y'all!)

AO3: clslovegood47

I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

Marinette sat on her balcony and sipped a steaming cup of tea. It was late, but sleep often alluded her nowadays. Ever since she had been given the Ladybug Miraculous, she often found her mind racing every time she crawled into bed. It got worse once she became the Guardian of the Miracle Box.

On particularly bad nights, Marinette would take her fluffiest blanket onto the terrace and soak in the quietness of the evening. The soft thrum of the cars below and the whistling of the wind often remedied her sleeplessness, but tonight, nothing seemed to be working. She grew increasingly restless as time passed, for only a few hours ago, her life had changed drastically..._again_.

Even though she knew it would be a good idea to sit down with Chat and reveal their identities when she became the new Guardian, it was something that Marinette couldn't bring herself to do. She neglected to tell Chat Noir that the identity rule didn't need to be followed anymore, and she failed to mention that it was now necessary to know his identity so she could easily contact him in the event of an emergency.

It's not that she didn't want to know who Chat was. If anything, it was the fact that revealing their identities would change the dynamic of their relationship. It was a step that she hadn't been ready to take; however, fate had different plans when they'd gotten trapped inside of a closet during an Akuma attack earlier that day.

Seeing Chat Noir turn into Adrien Agreste made her heart stop. She saw a thousand expressions cross his features when her own transformation dropped a few seconds later. Before she had the chance to speak, cry, or scream, they were released from their confinement and forced to spring back into action.

After a bit of fumbling, they were able to defeat the Akuma; however, they were not granted the opportunity to talk before returning to class. When school ended, Adrien had been quickly whisked away to a photoshoot, leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts and feelings.

It had been approximately eight hours since she'd learned Chat's identity, and she still didn't know what to do. Ever since Marinette had decided to stop pursuing Adrien, she had done her best to be a better friend to him. Watching him find love with another girl had been difficult. All she wanted was for him to be happy, and if Kagami made him feel good, she knew she would have to be okay with that.

While she still loved him with every fiber of her being, she'd done her best to push her feelings aside when she was with Adrien. She'd even managed to have a few decent conversations with him over the past few months. (She only stuttered a few times!) However, knowing that he was Chat added a new level of awkwardness.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Marinette let the stillness of the night consume her. Also, knowing that she had a few more hours before she had to confront her newest problem helped settle the nervousness brewing in her gut.

She spent the next several minutes attempting to clear her mind. She sat like a statue and took deep, calming breaths. Suddenly, Marinette's phone went off in her lap, startling her. Upon feeling the vibration, she jumped and nearly fell out of the lawn chair.

With tired eyes, she squinted at the device. An unknown number flashed across her screen. Curiosity filled her as she opened her phone to view the message.

**Unknown: **Why are you still awake?

Marinette felt a twinge of panic in her chest. While the message didn't sound threatening, she didn't like the idea of someone watching her.

**Marinette: **Who is this?

**Unknown: **Oh, right...sorry. I forgot that you don't have this number on your civilian phone. I didn't mean to startle you, Princess.

"_Chat_," a soothing voice echoed in her mind.

Every muscle in her body relaxed. This was her partner. This was Adrien. She knew him. She could trust him.

**Marinette: **It's okay...how did you know that I was still awake?

**Unknown: **I have night vision...lol

**Marinette: **Haha...right. Where are you?

**Unknown: **Look up.

Marinette obliged and turned her gaze towards the Parisian skyline. After taking a minute to scan the landscape, she spotted a bright light nestled in a dark corner on a roof across the street.

**Marinette:** Hiding in the shadows?

**Unknown: **What can I say? I belong to the night.

Her mind began to race. "_You can't hide from this conversation forever. Talk to him. It's now or never_."

**Marinette: **Why don't you come over here?

She bit her lip as she awaited his response.

**Unknown: **Are you sure?

**Marinette: **Get over here :)

She watched as the distant light flicked off. His shadowy figure vaulted across the rooftops, and within seconds, a sheepish looking Chat Noir landed on her balcony.

He sheathed his baton and looked at the ground. "I...um...hi, Marinette."

She offered him a small smile. "Good evening, _Chaton_. What brings you out and about at two o'clock in the morning?"

"I'm sorry...I-I couldn't sleep. You know...after all that happened today. I just...then...and my room felt extra stuffy, and I just needed to get out. I was running across the rooftops, and I ran past your place...I'm sorry I didn't mean to...what I'm trying to say is...ugh...no...I looked over, and I saw you. I know it's late, but I was worried. I promise I didn't do it on purpose…I..."

She cut him off with a giggle. "Would you like to detransform and talk?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I...what? You're not mad?"

"No. I was actually out here thinking about what I was going to say to you tomorrow, but...you're here now. So, I'll ask again...would you like to detransform and talk?"

"I'm...uhhh...only wearing pajamas under this."

"So, I'm wearing pajamas under this blanket. It's fine."

"But it's kind of cold outside."

"Would you like to come inside?"

"Really?"

Marinette stood up from her chair and walked over to the leather-clad hero. "Yes, you silly cat. You are my partner, and if we want this to _not_ be weird anymore, then we need to talk about what happened today."

He stood silent and stunned on the terrace. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the hatch. Once they were both inside her room, Chat called off his transformation, and Marinette shielded her eyes as the bright green light engulfed her partner.

Her breath hitched upon seeing a worn and weary Adrien Agreste with a frown and tousled hair. She did her best to remind herself that this was just her _Chaton_; however, seeing him as Adrien made everything feel different.

She took a deep breath and attempted to speak. "S-so...I...uh...okay. Wow...I tet's lalk…I MEAN...ugh...no. Not this again. Let's talk."

The sadness deepened on his face. "I'm making you uncomfortable. This wasn't a good idea. I'll just go."

"NO! No...p-please. I just...need a moment. I've been working hard to get over this, but I'm just a little nervous now that you're not transformed."

"What can I do to make this better? Jeez...I'm so sorry Marinette. If I'd been a little faster today, we wouldn't have gotten stuck. I really am a lousy partner sometimes."

Hearing his self-deprecating words caused the nervousness inside her to melt away instantly. It was quickly replaced by hurt and frustration.

She buried her head in her hands and groaned. "I can't believe this! We're back to square one! We haven't acted like this around each other in _months_. When I became the Guardian, you really stepped up. You've been driven and confident...it was us against the world. _Chaton_, I will kick you if you tell me that you're not a good partner _ever_ again. You're not even a great partner, you're the perfect partner. Do you understand?"

He audibly swallowed. "Uh...yes?"

"Good."

"Okay...yeah."

A silence fell between them. For the second time that night, the flash of confidence that Marinette felt moments ago began to fade as she let her mind wander.

"_Why are you still getting nervous around him_? _Out of the suit, he's still Chat Noir. Besides, Adrien is your friend. They're the same person...and he's your friend...just your friend. You're just a friend...but you still love him._"

Marinette felt hot tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. She looked up to see Adrien looking down at his lap. He looked so small and sad, and all she wanted to do was hold him and tell him that it would be okay, but she'd given up her chance to be by his side. They were _partners_...and that was it.

Tears began to streak her face as her newest realization hit her. "_He loved you as Ladybug...you gave him up twice. Now, he'll never be yours. You have to keep this professional and friendly. Nothing more! Don't mess this up. Don't make him feel worse._"

Adrien's eyes snapped up as a sob escaped her lips. Within seconds, he'd moved across the bed and situated himself next to her. He hesitated before placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Marinette, how...did I do something? I'm sorry. Tell me what I need to do or say. _Please _don't cry. If it's something I can fix, just tell me." He looked at her with worry in his eyes.

She attempted to speak between sobs. "It's m-me...I...I...I did this t-to myself. I can't tell you...you're going to hate me!"

"I don't think I could hate you if you tried."

"No...this time you will. I hurt you over and over again. It only makes sense that you moved on. I couldn't even be honest with you in our civilian lives!"

"Moved onto what? Help me understand...I just want things to be okay between us."

"My brain can't even pick an emotion right now. When I think of you as Chat, I feel confident and strong, and then I see you as Adrien and I go back to how it was before...before...I-I...I can't."

"Before what?"

Marinette's lip trembled. "Before I let you go!"

Adrien furrowed his brows. "Marinette...you're still not making any sense."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please don't hate me."

"I promise I won't. Like I said before, I don't think I can."

She grabbed a pillow and squeezed it against her body. "I love you."

"Oh, my lady." He gently removed the pillow from her grip and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank God."

"I...it's been so long since you've called me that? WAIT...aren't you dating Kagami?"

"Ahhhhh...um...no. I'm not. She told me that she loved me, and I told her that I wasn't ready. I tried taking her out on a date, but it just didn't feel right. I was still in love with someone else...a certain someone else who I thought was in love with Luka."

She pulled away from him. "Well, yeah...about that. Luka is...sweet. And I love him, but I'm not in love with him…if that makes sense."

Adrien reached up and ran his fingertips along her cheek. "So, if Luka wasn't the boy who Ladybug was in love with...then...who?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"I do, but I would really like to hear you say it."

She met his gaze and smiled. "Adrien Agreste, I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng have been hopelessly in love with you since you handed me your umbrella the day after we met. I spent a year trying to tell you, and I could barely function when you looked at me. Then, a few months ago, I saw you laughing and smiling with another girl, so I walked away...and I've been trying to forget about my feelings for you, but it didn't work. And I have to be honest, I think that's all the courage I can muster for the rest of the night."

Adrien grinned and once again pulled her into a tight embrace. He lovingly ran his hand up and down her back.

"Then let me talk for a little bit," he whispered.

Marinette felt herself melt in his arms as she leaned in and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He nuzzled the top of her head and released a happy hum.

"My lady," he began, "a few months ago, a beautiful blue-eyed girl helped my friend and I escape a boring party. I'd been thinking about that girl for quite some time, but I always pushed her out of my mind because I didn't need to fall in love with another emotionally unavailable person. Then I saw her with her hair down, and I was stunned. I knew she was beautiful, but I never imagined that she was that _radiant_. That day, I watched her get us out of sticky situations by coming up with creative solutions. Then again, she always did amazing stuff like that...she was my everyday Ladybug. She was always brave, kind, and selfless. I'm surprised I didn't let myself completely fall for her sooner."

"Wait," she shook her head, "you actually noticed me?"

"How could I not? Honestly, I didn't think I stood a chance with you or Ladybug, so when Kagami told me that she loved me, I went for it. Unfortunately, she and I didn't mesh very well. We were...too similar. I need someone who compliments me...someone who's my other half. You know...the yin to my yang. That's when I realized that I would _never _be over Ladybug, and that wasn't fair to Kagami."

"I'm sorry...I just wanted you to be happy."

"No," he began, "you don't understand. I finally found my happiness. Marinette, I love you, too...I always have. I now know that we really are destined to be together."

Marinette bit her lip. "So, you're okay with maybe...um...being in a relationship?"

Adrien tightened his hold on her. "Oh, God, yes! When I found out that you and Ladybug were the same person, I was overjoyed. Then, I remembered Luka, and I thought he was the reason why you kept pushing away Chat. The idea of not having a chance with either of you drove me crazy today. I was filled with so many questions, so I ran across the rooftops hoping to find some answers...and now the answer to everything is in my arms, and I never want to let go."

"Then don't...just hold me."

"For as long as you want me to, my lady."

For several minutes, they sat quietly in each other's arms. Marinette could feel his love for her in every breath he took. For the first time in months, she felt safe and whole.

Adrien chucked when Marinette yawned loudly. "I think it's time for someone to get to bed."

She shook her head. "Nope. Not happening."

"And why not?"

"A couple reasons. One...you promised to never let go. Two...because I'm afraid that I'll go to sleep and wake up only to discover that this was all a dream."

"Okay, unfortunately, I have to physically let you go, but my heart beats only for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I will always be yours. Also, I hate to break it to you, Princess, but this is most definitely not a dream. I'm very real, and once I'm done with my lessons in the morning, I will be spending the rest of the day with you tomorrow...well, today. I guess it's already tomorrow."

"That sounds nice." Marinette was finding it harder to resist against the heaviness of her eyelids.

He rested his forehead against hers. "If you go to sleep now, time will pass by much faster, and I'll be back before you know it."

"No...I just got you. I don't want you to leave."

"Will you go to bed if I stay here until you fall asleep?"

"Okay...I guess that'll work," she said with a playful shrug.

He softly kissed her forehead. "Anything for you, Princess."

Adrien settled himself next to Marinette and placed his head onto her pillow. He once again pulled her close and allowed her to bury her head in his soft cotton t-shirt. The gentle rise and fall of his chest and his comforting warmth quickly became her new obsession.

With a smile on her face, Marinette gave into the overwhelming wave of exhaustion that washed over her. She slept soundly knowing that Adrien would always be by her side.

Now that the wall between them was finally gone, Marinette knew that together they would be an unstoppable force. Her duties and Ladybug and the Guardian no longer seemed daunting and insurmountable.

Marinette had Adrien, and Chat Noir had Ladybug.

They had each other.

They were finally complete.


End file.
